Farang
Encyclopedia
Farang also spelled falang, is the generic Thai
word for a Westerner. A general term for foreigners is khon tang prathet ('people from other countries'). There is no expressly negative or positive implication in the word itself. However when it is used along with other words, it can bring a negative meaning depending on the context. For instance, farang khi nok (literally 'bird droppings foreigner') could mean a Westerner who is stingy. It is common in Thai to just say farang to point out the presence of one, without making a whole sentence. People of African descent from the Western hemisphere have been occasionally referred to as farang dam ('black farang'), although Thai people who have not been in Western countries nor exposed to their cultures may still refer to all African descents as Negro without negative meanings.
To understand the utilization of farang in the way the Thai people create identities: (1) read farang as a "Thai production system of power/knowledge concerning the West"; and (2) take it as a "reflexively tactical method" to produce the "Thai-ized" version of the West as superior but suspicious outsiders, based on specific historical and cultural encounters with/against them.
Globalization
and other factors have brought about a strange relationship between Thais and foreigners. As Anna Tsing explains in "The Global Situation", globalization's world-making flows have acted much like water rushing down a hillside, carving rocks, moving gravel, switching courses, and constantly recreating channels. Globalization's flow through Thailand has affected the country both in positive and negative ways. Some stones were upturned and broken down by the water's force and others were strengthened and fortified by that same force. The word farang teeters on the boundary between positive and negative in Thailand.
The ebbs and flows of Globalization continue with tourism. Tourism in Thailand is a large industry, both sex and otherwise. As Ara Wilson
discusses in her book The Intimate Economies of Bangkok, this industry is intertwined with and affected by Gender Identities in Thailand
. Tourism, in combination with a history of impoverishment, has led some Thai people to associate westerners with money. “Tourism is the major foreign exchange earner, with over 11 million tourist arrivals in 2004.” This association with money and power can lead to a rock star treatment of foreigners; many privileges and a great deal of respect often come to those with white skin. Awe and admiration for foreigners is commonplace. The word suey ('beautiful') often follows the word farang. The idea that white is beautiful is reinforced by store shelves full of skin-whitening products. Thai people also, historically and today, are interested in keeping Thailand for the Thais. This idea has spread into the cultural identity of the farang, both with fees often four times as large at parks and temples, and by restricting visas for spouses of Thai people. All of this is interconnected to the fact that Thais pay close attention to farang in their home country.
fruit, introduced by Portuguese traders over 400 years ago, which of course can lead to jokes when foreigners are seen eating a guava in Thailand
. Farang khi nok is a particular variety of guava, feijoa
. Avaricious Westerners may also be called Farang khi nok. This is usually taken to mean "bird-shit farang", as khi means waste and nok means (wild) bird; but, while khi nok may mean guano
, it is also a species of fish, Diagramma pictum, a species of grunts Haemulidae
.
Varieties of food/produce which were introduced by Europeans are often called farang varieties. Hence, potatoes are man farang , whereas man alone can be any tuber; culantro is called phak chi farang ' onMouseout='HidePop("46494")' href="/topics/Coriander">coriander
); and chewing gum is mak farang . Mak is Thai for betel
, which many rural Thais chew for the euphoria it gives.
In the Isan
Lao dialect, the guava is called mak sida , mak being a prefix for fruit names. Thus Bak sida , bak being a prefix when calling males, refer jokingly to a Westerner, by analogy to the Thai language were farang can mean both guava and Westerner.
word firinjīyah, which was used to refer to the Franks
, a West Germanic tribe that became the biggest political power in Western Europe during the early Middle Ages
and from which France
derives its name. Due to the fact that the Frankish Empire ruled Western Europe for centuries, the word "Frank" became deeply associated, by the Eastern Europeans and Middle Easterners, with Latins who professed the Roman Catholic faith. By another account the word comes through Arabic
afranj, and there are quite a few articles about this. One of the most detailed treatments of the subject is by Rashid al-din Fazl Allâh.
In either case the original word was pronounced firangi in North India
and Pakistan
or parangiar in Tamil
, and entered Khmer
as barang and Malay
as ferenggi.
Thai language
Thai , also known as Central Thai and Siamese, is the national and official language of Thailand and the native language of the Thai people, Thailand's dominant ethnic group. Thai is a member of the Tai group of the Tai–Kadai language family. Historical linguists have been unable to definitively...
word for a Westerner. A general term for foreigners is khon tang prathet ('people from other countries'). There is no expressly negative or positive implication in the word itself. However when it is used along with other words, it can bring a negative meaning depending on the context. For instance, farang khi nok (literally 'bird droppings foreigner') could mean a Westerner who is stingy. It is common in Thai to just say farang to point out the presence of one, without making a whole sentence. People of African descent from the Western hemisphere have been occasionally referred to as farang dam ('black farang'), although Thai people who have not been in Western countries nor exposed to their cultures may still refer to all African descents as Negro without negative meanings.
To understand the utilization of farang in the way the Thai people create identities: (1) read farang as a "Thai production system of power/knowledge concerning the West"; and (2) take it as a "reflexively tactical method" to produce the "Thai-ized" version of the West as superior but suspicious outsiders, based on specific historical and cultural encounters with/against them.
Exploration and understanding
During the Vietnam War, American military presence increased in Thailand. This experience provided a unique impression of Americans/Westerners for many Thai people. However, the hostility that is often expressed through the use of farang goes beyond military presence. Western religions, lifestyles, eating habits, family dynamics, ideas about respect and independence, clothing styles, language, and even appearance, directly clash with those of the Thai people.Globalization
Globalization
Globalization refers to the increasingly global relationships of culture, people and economic activity. Most often, it refers to economics: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import...
and other factors have brought about a strange relationship between Thais and foreigners. As Anna Tsing explains in "The Global Situation", globalization's world-making flows have acted much like water rushing down a hillside, carving rocks, moving gravel, switching courses, and constantly recreating channels. Globalization's flow through Thailand has affected the country both in positive and negative ways. Some stones were upturned and broken down by the water's force and others were strengthened and fortified by that same force. The word farang teeters on the boundary between positive and negative in Thailand.
The ebbs and flows of Globalization continue with tourism. Tourism in Thailand is a large industry, both sex and otherwise. As Ara Wilson
Ara Wilson
Ara Wilson is a writer. Her work focuses on the feminist ethnography of globalization through description and analysis of various market economies. Her work examines the cultural, social, and sexual aspects of Bangkok economies, as well as illustrating the inaccuracies of Eurocentric ideology...
discusses in her book The Intimate Economies of Bangkok, this industry is intertwined with and affected by Gender Identities in Thailand
Gender Identities in Thailand
Within Thailand one can find several different gender roles, identities and diverse visual markers of masculinity and femininity. The demand for positive self-identity is growing in Thailand and their communities are strengthening.-Tom identity:...
. Tourism, in combination with a history of impoverishment, has led some Thai people to associate westerners with money. “Tourism is the major foreign exchange earner, with over 11 million tourist arrivals in 2004.” This association with money and power can lead to a rock star treatment of foreigners; many privileges and a great deal of respect often come to those with white skin. Awe and admiration for foreigners is commonplace. The word suey ('beautiful') often follows the word farang. The idea that white is beautiful is reinforced by store shelves full of skin-whitening products. Thai people also, historically and today, are interested in keeping Thailand for the Thais. This idea has spread into the cultural identity of the farang, both with fees often four times as large at parks and temples, and by restricting visas for spouses of Thai people. All of this is interconnected to the fact that Thais pay close attention to farang in their home country.
Farang and food
Farang is also the Thai word for the guavaGuava
Guavas are plants in the myrtle family genus Psidium , which contains about 100 species of tropical shrubs and small trees. They are native to Mexico, Central America, and northern South America...
fruit, introduced by Portuguese traders over 400 years ago, which of course can lead to jokes when foreigners are seen eating a guava in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. Farang khi nok is a particular variety of guava, feijoa
Feijoa
Acca sellowiana, a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, is native to the highlands of southern Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay, and northern Argentina. It is widely cultivated as a garden plant and fruiting tree in New Zealand, and can be found as a garden plant in Australia and...
. Avaricious Westerners may also be called Farang khi nok. This is usually taken to mean "bird-shit farang", as khi means waste and nok means (wild) bird; but, while khi nok may mean guano
Guano
Guano is the excrement of seabirds, cave dwelling bats, and seals. Guano manure is an effective fertilizer due to its high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen and also its lack of odor. It was an important source of nitrates for gunpowder...
, it is also a species of fish, Diagramma pictum, a species of grunts Haemulidae
Haemulidae
The grunts are a family, Haemulidae, of fishes in the order Perciformes. They are numerous and widespread, with about 150 species in 19 genera, found in tropical fresh, brackish and salt waters around the world...
.
Varieties of food/produce which were introduced by Europeans are often called farang varieties. Hence, potatoes are man farang , whereas man alone can be any tuber; culantro is called phak chi farang ' onMouseout='HidePop("46494")' href="/topics/Coriander">coriander
Coriander
Coriander is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae. Coriander is native to southern Europe and North Africa to southwestern Asia. It is a soft, hairless plant growing to tall. The leaves are variable in shape, broadly lobed at the base of the plant, and slender and feathery higher on the...
); and chewing gum is mak farang . Mak is Thai for betel
Betel
The Betel is the leaf of a vine belonging to the Piperaceae family, which includes pepper and Kava. It is valued both as a mild stimulant and for its medicinal properties...
, which many rural Thais chew for the euphoria it gives.
In the Isan
Isan language
Isan language is the collective name for the dialects of the Lao language as they are spoken in Thailand. It is spoken by approximately 20 million people, which is nearly one-third of the entire population of Thailand, predominantly in the Isan region of northeastern Thailand. There are also large...
Lao dialect, the guava is called mak sida , mak being a prefix for fruit names. Thus Bak sida , bak being a prefix when calling males, refer jokingly to a Westerner, by analogy to the Thai language were farang can mean both guava and Westerner.
Etymology and related words
It is generally believed that the word farang originated with the Indo-Persian word farangi, meaning foreigner. This in turn comes from the word Frank via the ArabicArabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
word firinjīyah, which was used to refer to the Franks
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
, a West Germanic tribe that became the biggest political power in Western Europe during the early Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
and from which France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
derives its name. Due to the fact that the Frankish Empire ruled Western Europe for centuries, the word "Frank" became deeply associated, by the Eastern Europeans and Middle Easterners, with Latins who professed the Roman Catholic faith. By another account the word comes through Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
afranj, and there are quite a few articles about this. One of the most detailed treatments of the subject is by Rashid al-din Fazl Allâh.
In either case the original word was pronounced firangi in North India
North India
North India, known natively as Uttar Bhārat or Shumālī Hindustān , is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage...
and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
or parangiar in Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
, and entered Khmer
Khmer language
Khmer , or Cambodian, is the language of the Khmer people and the official language of Cambodia. It is the second most widely spoken Austroasiatic language , with speakers in the tens of millions. Khmer has been considerably influenced by Sanskrit and Pali, especially in the royal and religious...
as barang and Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
as ferenggi.
See also
- List of slang terms for white people in non-Western countries
- Barang
- Farangi
- Franks: Legacy
- Luk kreungLuk kreungA luk kreung , literally "child half", although understood as "half [a] child", is a colloquial reference in the Thai language to a person who is of mixed Thai and European origins....